Segments in this Video

Introduction: Visual Image: Genius of Inventions—Ideas That Changed the World(03:27)

FREE PREVIEW

This brief overview of image capturing technology orients viewers with excerpts from the upcoming program.

Broadcasting House(03:00)

In 1932 experimental television pictures were broadcasted from the basement. This building has grown into a large media-broadcasting studio. Learn a brief history of broadcasting from this building.

Nicéphore Niépce(04:05)

Nicéphore Niépce used a camera obscura to create images. Learn about the light sensitive chemicals that create photographic images.

Louis Daguerre(02:16)

After Niépce's death, Daguerre continued experimenting and was able to capture and permanently fix an image. Daguerre was given a pension and the process was made available to all of France for free.

William Henry Fox Talbot(02:54)

Talbot developed an entirely different process for creating permanent images using paper instead of metal plates. Talbot was vilified and given nothing for his invention.

Role of Personality(01:58)

Professor Brian Winston discusses how personality and public relations play a role in the different reactions to the early photography methods.

Chemistry(01:57)

View a demonstration of how flash was created in early photography.

News Photography(02:21)

Pictures add emotion to news reports and help the public connect to those in the story. Learn about the evolution of pictures in the media.

Eadweard Muybridge(00:54)

Learn how the father of cinematography created the first moving pictures.

Celluloid(03:09)

Celluloid rolls were used in still photography and eventually motion pictures. Early celluloid was highly flammable.

Early Film Censorship(02:02)

The 1909 Cinematograph Act began the British film industry's official, and thus regulated, beginning. Dr. Simon Brown describes the moral concerns that were raised regarding early films.

Moral Panic(02:51)

The British Board of Film Censors was created to pre-empt government censorship. Learn about the early 20th century regulations that were imposed on cinemas.

Mechanical Television(03:56)

John Logie Baird put together recycled parts and inventions from other people to create a mechanical television. Learn about the trials he went through to create a working model.

Reconstruction(01:26)

In 1926, demonstrated his mechanical television for the first time. Learn about the different components of the device.

Competition(02:14)

In 1932, Baird began test transmissions from the Broadcasting House. Marconi-EMI employed electronic technology to broadcast television. The two teams competed to see which system was better.

Emitron Camera(03:46)

Learn how the electronic and mechanical television systems worked. See the multiple camera system in use. After 3 months, Marconi-EMI was declared the winner. Hear from Baird's grandson about his passion for broadcast television.

Niépce Reproduction(01:50)

Photographer Terry King attempts to reproduce the method used to create the first photograph. Unfortunately he was unsuccessful.

Conclusion: Visual Image: Genius of Inventions—Ideas That Changed the World(00:49)

Revisit the inventions that have changed our world.

British Inventiveness(03:46)

The hosts discuss British inventiveness. Sir James Dyson, creator of the bag-less vacuum cleaner, speaks to the inventiveness of the British. The hosts speculate on what the future may bring.

Credits: Visual Image: Genius of Inventions—Ideas That Changed the World(00:45)

Credits: Visual Image: Genius of Inventions—Ideas That Changed the World

Description

This final episode looks at a defining characteristic of our times: the ability to see and record live events anywhere in the world. It makes virtual neighbors of us all and is a fundamental part of our modern society. This program tells the story of the inventors who tackled the complexities of chemistry and electronics and discovered how to capture and reproduce still and moving images. Their brilliance led to our final three genius inventions: still photography, moving pictures, and finally, television. A BBC Production. A part of the series The Genius of Invention: Ideas That Changed the World.